MORE NEWS, 5-19 (HOUSE ENERGY BILL FIGHT, DAY 1; WATERED DOWN CHANGE; VOLT GETS TEST, PRAISE)

HOUSE ENERGY BILL FIGHT, DAY 1
US lawmakers open tough climate bill debate
May 18, 2009 (AFP)

"US lawmakers…[began] formal debate on legislation creating a "cap and trade" system for curbing pollution blamed for global warming amid stiff Republican opposition…President Barack Obama's Democratic allies, who control the Senate and House of Representatives, have said they want to have a bill ready to lend momentum to December global climate change talks in Copenhagen.

"The House Energy and Commerce Committee opened what could be a tough week of debate on the Democratic proposal, with Republicans expected to offer as many as 450 amendments that could throw a wrench in the legislative gears…"

From LCV2008 via YouTube.

"Waxman has said he wants the committee to vote on the 948-page bill by the end of the week, when the US Congress begins a week-long recess anchored on Monday's Memorial Day holiday.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex) says Energy and Commerce Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif) does not have the votes to get the energy and climate bill passed. From NothingButTheNews via YouTube.

"The American Clean Energy and Security Act aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, while creating "green" jobs…[by creating] a "cap-and-trade" system limiting overall pollution from large industrial sources and then allocating and selling pollution permits."

"But Republicans have charged that the effect will be to increase energy costs for consumers already struggling with a paralyzing recession, and say that they will offer an alternative that does not include a "cap and trade" mechanism…

"The Democratic bill would require utilities, by 2020, to get 15 percent of their electricity from renewable resources -- solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass -- and show annual energy savings of five percent from efficiency measures…The European Union plan calls for getting 20 percent of all electricity from renewable resources by 2020."


WATERED DOWN CHANGE
Advocates say energy bill too watered down to make a big difference
David O. Williams, May 18, 2009 (Colorado Independent)

"Henry Waxman, D-Calif., may not “have the nuts” to pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act (at least according to his GOP counterpart on the House Energy and Commerce Committee), but some Colorado environmentalists say the bill itself doesn’t have the teeth it needs to truly transform America’s energy infrastructure.

"While being sure to carefully praise Waxman’s bill (H.R. 2454) as the full committee takes up debate on it this week, Denver-based Environment Colorado also issued a release saying the draft legislation is too watered down to make the meaningful changes necessary…"

TheCleanDotOrg on Waxman-Markey

From The CleanDotOrg via YouTube

"Specifically, [Environment Colordo] said the renewable electricity standard in the draft version won’t require the nation to use more renewable energy than what will be achieved through state standards already in place and investments from the stimulus bill.

"[It] also said the bill allows polluters to purchase offsets rather than reduce their own pollution and that it falls short of requiring polluters to pay for their pollution through a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system...[and] urged Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee that Waxman chairs, to push hard to strengthen and pass the bill."


VOLT GETS TEST, PRAISE
Volt shows electric car can be powerful, sporty
Mark Phelan, May 18, 2009 (Detroit Free Press)

"General Motors drove a stake through the notion that environmentally friendly electric cars can’t also be fun and sporty in a brief test drive of the company’s Chevrolet Volt powertrain…A fast, smooth blast from zero to 70 m.p.h. on the roads within the GM Tech Center in Warren proved the car can be electrifying as well as electric-powered.

"The Volt is on schedule to go on sale in November 2010…GM has about 35 test vehicles on the road equipped with the electric motor and lithium-ion batteries that will power the Volt. Those development cars have the body of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze compact…GM will put 80 Volts with the production car’s sleek and futuristic body on the road…in June."

This video has audio drop-outs but nicely shows the current state of the Volt. From mrpitv via YouTube.

"The test vehicle ran with smooth, quiet power, but driving it felt reassuringly like getting behind the wheel of any new car. That’s a key goal for the Volt program…The test car’s electric motor provided immediate torque for acceleration most sporty small cars would envy."

click thru to the Stanek/GM presentation

"The Volt is designed to cover about 40 miles on electricity stored in the big lithium-ion battery pack that runs down the center of the car. For longer trips, a 1.4-liter gasoline engine will kick in to sustain the batteries. Unlike hybrids, the engine never drives the wheels.

"The onboard generator frees the Volt of the drawback that crippled previous electric cars: range. While an electric vehicle without a generator must stop and recharge when the batteries run low, the Volt has an essentially unlimited range, and should be able to cover 500 to 600 miles on the combination of battery power and a single tank of gasoline."